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how about.................... HIStory vs Thriller?

Choose the one u love more!

  • Thriller

    Votes: 108 48.2%

  • HIStory

    Votes: 116 51.8%
  • Total voters
    224
Thriller is consistently good, but History has higher highlights. TDCAU, earth song, stranger in moscow, little susie, smile, you are not alone are all classics and desrve the highest praise. Plus the album has a more mature sound and Michael has the fuller voice and the anger in his voice.

Still I love Thriller, but it is very poppy and early 80s sounding, also none of the songs go beyond love and dancing. Only Beat it and Billie Jean hints at anything deeper (Gang Violence and Stalkers), whereas History covers so much more agenda, gossip and lies about MJ, evil people, history, child abuse, injustice, poverty, saving the children, loneliness, confusion, resignation and our fragile planet. TDCAU covers more subject matter than pretty much most other artists.
 
HIStory but its very close! It's probably my third fav album (Thriller is probably my fourth). My favorites are Scream, TDCAU, Stranger in Moscow, Tabloid Junkie and 2 Bad. Thriller is incredible of course (BJ is my fav off the album) but HIStory wins just by a little bit.
 
I used to vote Thriller but now my mood is that I would pick HIStory.
 
Definitely:

HIStory

Both albums are great, but HIStory is much more personally and critical of society.
On the album are so many killer-songs. :)
Scream, Tabloid Junkie, This Time Around, TDCAU, Money, Earth Song.... and so on. :woohoo:

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I'm surprised the poll is this close. On this forum I thought HIStory would have crushed Thriller
 
Thriller because two of my all time favourite Michael songs Human Nature and WBSS are on it.
 
Billie Jean and Human Nature are two of my favorite songs from Thriller but overall HIStory has a more cohesive and stronger concept because it was his ingenious way to respond to the people who had been trying to condemn him and crucify him, the range of emotions he felt for being accused of such horrendous crime and how these inquisitors perceived him.
 
HIStory is by far better than Thriller, at least in my opinion.

Thriller is a great album with classic after classic, but sometimes with the material from before the second half of the 80s (and Invincible), I feel that he doesn't always connect fully with what he is singing about, whereas on HIStory particularly, he sounds fully engaged, passionate and raw.
 
I'll vote Thriller, but HIStory is a masterpiece.. maybe his best produced album. The production on that album is just state of the art, flawless! But I think Thriller is a better album as a whole. On Thriller basically there are no fillers! All 9 songs are brilliant, where on HIStory you can not say that. In my opinion the album is a bit too long and it has some fillers (D.S., Come Together) and in my opinion too many "operatic" ballads for a pop record of that kind and magnitude (Childhood, Little Susie, Smile). Although all great songs I would take them off this album and put them on a separate album with these kind of songs.. or release them as B sides on singles. Like Childhood was for Scream. And I would end the album with HIStory (the song, like he ended Dangerous with Dangerous). Little Susie and Smile are just not a good way to end the album in my opinion. So I would take those 5 songs out and add Blood On The Dance Floor, Ghosts & On The Line. That way I'd say HIStory would be perfect and as good as Thriller. On Thriller I wouldn't change a bit.. maybe only add Behind The Mask.
 
OnirMJ said:
I'll vote Thriller, but HIStory is a masterpiece.. maybe his best produced album. The production on that album is just state of the art, flawless! But I think Thriller is a better album as a whole. On Thriller basically there are no fillers! All 9 songs are brilliant, where on HIStory you can not say that. In my opinion the album is a bit too long and it has some fillers (D.S., Come Together) and in my opinion too many "operatic" ballads for a pop record of that kind and magnitude (Childhood, Little Susie, Smile). Although all great songs I would take them off this album and put them on a separate album with these kind of songs.. or release them as B sides on singles. Like Childhood was for Scream. And I would end the album with HIStory (the song, like he ended Dangerous with Dangerous). Little Susie and Smile are just not a good way to end the album in my opinion. So I would take those 5 songs out and add Blood On The Dance Floor, Ghosts & On The Line. That way I'd say HIStory would be perfect and as good as Thriller. On Thriller I wouldn't change a bit.. maybe only add Behind The Mask.
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Smile is the perfect way to end History. A note of optimism in an album full of heartache and pain.

The paradox with the opening Scream is beautiful.

Like I've said before the album starts with sound of him screaming and ends with the sound of him laughing. Genius.
 
Mine was vote #111 for.....................

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Considering the serious tone of the album this edit seems a bit out of place now that I think about it, but anyways......it's still cute. Plus, as Tony noted the album ends with a hopeful tone, so I guess it goes :)

Lady Gaga said:
HIStory is by far better than Thriller, at least in my opinion.

Thriller is a great album with classic after classic, but sometimes with the material from before the second half of the 80s (and Invincible), I feel that he doesn't always connect fully with what he is singing about, whereas on HIStory particularly, he sounds fully engaged, passionate and raw.
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HIStory IS much, much better than Thriller and not only in your opinion ;)

You're also very right to note Michael's detachment from the music of Thriller. What a complete shame it took such an awful travesty for him to be fully connected to his music and for his lyrics to have a deeply personal and autobiographical tone.
 
After all the pain, suffering and injustice Michael went through, he still had reasons to smile and laugh. Besides being absolutely brilliant and optimistic as Tony said, I call it poetic justice towards his inquisitors.
 
I don't hear any detachment in Thriller, whatsoever. Or in OTW, or BAD. Thriller was how he was feeling at that time. History was how he was feeling then.
 
barbee0715 said:
I don't hear any detachment in Thriller, whatsoever. Or in OTW, or BAD. Thriller was how he was feeling at that time. History was how he was feeling then.
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That is a good point, but I just feel that, not so much with press related issues, but more social issues, surely if he felt so strongly by Bad (Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana to an extent) then he would have wanted to speak out more about this before that stage. I feel like up until Bad he just wanted to make great music that everyone could enjoy and that entertained people - and I'm not implying there is anything wrong with that.

But on Dangerous and especially HIStory, there is such a release and genuine edge in his voice that shows what he was singing about was so rooted in his soul, and I find that much more interesting a listen than Thriller, personally. But I love all the albums for their own reasons of course, this isn't me trying to bash pre-90s Michael.
 
Michael has been recognised for the soul in his voice ever since we saw the Motown auditions of him performing 'I Got The Feeling'. Of course, later on with 'Who's Loving You', Never Can Say Goodbye', 'Ben', and so on... He was so convincing in singing songs that were way beyond his years, that people believed he was reincarnated! They used to call him a 45 year old midget!

It's always been there, but it just became tortured over time :(

I don't agree with this idea that he suddenly became more aware with the 'History' album. Or that he needed to go through agony in order to create ground breaking content, He was doing both beforehand.

Gamble & Huff gave The Jacksons that conscious edge with songs like 'Man Of War' and 'Strength Of One Man' to name just two. I could list many Motown ones, but I'm not sure if they were covers or not... Though Michael didn't write those songs, it did plant the seed for he and Jackie to write 'Can You Feel It'. 'Beat It' preached anti violence, and was so effective that it was used for Nancy Reagan's Say No To Drugs campaign. 'Be Not Always' different in that it wasn't optimistic. It was a stalling, sombre lament of the devastation of war and poverty. More suitable for a wake. Michael literally sang through tears. No other song did he choke up so much on. This song paved the way for 'Earth Song', the same way that 'We Are The World' was a predecessor to 'Heal The World'.

Half of the 'Destiny' album is about Michael's teenage anxieties. Feeling used and lonely. Not able to fit in, and the hope for a new life. The first song he wrote 'Blues Away' also alluded to this. Outside of that, we had themes of distrust and fear of women ('Heartbreak Hotel', 'Billie Jean', 'Walk Right Now', and many others), and 'paranoia' ('Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' and to a much lesser extent 'Somebody's Watching Me') that would dominate so much of his later work.

The foundation was already there for him to build upon later on.

'Thriller' combined all of these aspects, as well creating the fantasy/horror genre (and of course love, ha!). It formed a balanced and enjoyable selection, which is why it's my favourite :)

Unlike 'History' :(

The majority of that album didn't need to happen, because the allegations didn't need to happen. Listening to him literally scream for help and yell about morphine is tragic. I understand that Michael had to tell his story and I don't resent him for doing so, it's just sad that it all came to that. The difference between the greatest hits disc and the new material is jarring.. What I witnessed was a meltdown. The beginning of the end. That's nothing to celebrate :(
 
Michael's Essence said:
Michael has been recognised for the soul in his voice ever since we saw the Motown auditions of him performing 'I Got The Feeling'. Of course, later on with 'Who's Loving You', Never Can Say Goodbye', 'Ben', and so on... He was so convincing in singing songs that were way beyond his years, that people believed he was reincarnated! They used to call him a 45 year old midget!

It's always been there, but it just became tortured over time :(

I don't agree with this idea that he suddenly became more aware with the 'History' album. Or that he needed to go through agony in order to create ground breaking content, He was doing both beforehand.
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What a great post! And 100% agree IMO and as I remember it when I first listened to these songs. There's plenty of pain and angst and paranoia and social commentary in those songs, even if they're disguised with a more than melodic pop/jazz/soul/disco sound. In fact, I was shocked at some of them then-sending shivers down my spine or bringing me to tears. So refreshing to have somebody not dismiss his pre-90's work as "light and frothy."
 
You're welcome :)

Everyone is entitled to their own tastes, but if we are to understand the totality of who Michael was as an artist, we must observe the foundation.

I actually think the 'Triumph' album is just as dark as 'Dangerous'. Only 3 songs ('Can You Feel It', 'Everybody', and 'Give It Up') deter from the main concept of heartbreak and distrust in women. Michael apologised if any of the Jacksons songs casted women in a bad light in his autobiography. Even 'Dangerous' had 'Heal The World', 'Black Or White', 'Keep The Faith', 'Remember The Time' and 'In The Closet'. 'Triumph' is shorter too..

'Startin' Somethin' (my fav :) ) has a verse about parental responsibility! This wasn't a common thing to hear in an average 'Pop' song.

I agree that the earlier stuff gets overlooked or dismissed in the fan community. It's a shame because there's so much magic to be found! Different strokes though...
 
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